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Backtobanks

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Everything posted by Backtobanks

  1. Backtobanks
    O yes yes ye sysey sysyseyes!!!! There is a god! I would hope that these GMs can see that CLee is basically a DH. He might have 2 more years in LF.
  2. Backtobanks
    I'm amazed that everyone gets all excited about what these agents "leak" to the press. Agents "report" that 10-12 teams are looking at their client, #4 & #5 starters are going to average $10 million per year, and stars want $100+ million over 6-7 years. I think the only player that might warrant a 6-7 year contract is Cabrera. Certainly no pitcher should be signed for more than 4 years. The reason these agents make so much money is because they can really lay it on thick.
  3. Backtobanks
    I couldn't disagree more. Hendry signed Ramirez to an extension for a really great price leaving more money for the Cubs to get the other players they need. He also brought on board a 5th starter option who could be pretty good for just 1.5 guaranteed and brought back Kerry for only 1.75 guaranteed when he could have easily gotten more by going elsewhere. That's definitely doing something. I couldn't agree more. He has a very long way to go and he doesn't deserve any praise until he returns the Cubs to the postseason. Clearly the most important part of the off season is yet to come. The current Cubs are the same Cubs that stunk the past two years. He didn't bring a 5th starter onboard, Miller was already here. And he could just as easily be useless as he could be pretty good. Hendry kept the team together so far. Big deal. He needs to make the team a lot better. He has not done that yet. People are getting excited about the 2006 team returning. I don't get it. He's positioned the team so that it can get better, but it has not yet gotten better. So if he signs Schmidt, Zito, Soriano, CLee, and trades for ARod, Cabrera, and Tejada, he doesn't deserve any praise until the Cubs go to the postseason. He has done just about all that could be expected of him in 3 weeks. He's not finished ( by a long shot), but I think he will deserve praise if he builds a team that looks like it will be very competitive in the NL Central. Each step along the way will generate praise or criticism, but to dismiss everything he does until the Cubs actually go to the post-season isn't fair. The manager, coaches, and players also have some responsibility in getting to the post-season.
  4. Backtobanks
    After those transactions, the Cubs would still need 2 starters and 2 bats.
  5. Backtobanks
    I think it would take a lot more than that to get Cabrera or Dontrelle. None of those guys are can't miss prospects. I would guess it would take at least one A prospect to get either of them. Maybe not, but I just see the Angels be willing to trade some of their prospects (which are much better than ours) to get Cabrera. Especially after missing out on ARam. I don't think Dontrelle was a can't miss prospect when the Cubs traded him.
  6. Backtobanks
    Using a worst case scenario is as irrational as using the best case scenario. If you go into the season assuming the worst, then you have to fill all 25 positions because Zambrano's arm will fall off, Lee will be injured the whole year, ARam will break his leg hustling down the line, etc. I think you can expect a reasonable amount of production from established players and if they meet or exceed that production, you will probably have a winning year. If they fall below the reasonable expectations, then you will have a bad year.
  7. Backtobanks
    He has a lot to do yet, but I think he deserves a lot of credit for accomplishing so much in three weeks. He has dumped Baker and hired Piniella, signed ARam, Miller, and Wood, bid on Matsuzaka, apparently dumped Pierre, and seems to be actively involved with discussions for other FAs and trade possibilities.
  8. Backtobanks
    How about all of the posters who were jumping all over Hendry? I think a whole bunch of people need to apologize for the things they were saying about Hendry.
  9. Backtobanks
    As bad as Hendry is, thank God some of you aren't the GM. Trade Zambrano????? He is one of the best pitchers in baseball and he's very young. We can trade him for some prospects that might make it to the majors someday as #4 starters.
  10. Backtobanks
    With earlier rumors of the Tigers trading Bonderman, I'm surprized the Yanks didn't try for Bonderman rather than prospects.
  11. Backtobanks
    If Hendry signs the right guys, makes a few trades, and gets lucky enough for the Cubs to have a reasonably healthy year, then he will be a genius. Look at Kenny Williams on the South Side. He was the saddest excuse as a GM and had many people calling him dumb. Now he's considered a top-notch GM. Sports is a totally fickle business. For you Bear fans, Rex Grossman has gone from being an MVP candidate to being horrible in a few weeks. Lovie Smith has gone from a savior and a genuis to a fool for not replacing Grossman in the same time span.
  12. Backtobanks
    Sheffield is a great hitter and run producer, but coming off of a wrist injury at 38 years old and signing him to a 2-year extension beyond this year could be a dangerous proposition.
  13. Backtobanks
    I've been a Cub fan for all of my 59 years and I'm sick of losing too, but you do have to be somewhat rational about these salaries. Paying a total of $100 million for Matsuzaka is totally unrational. Signing him and not being able to afford others to fill the numerous holes on the Cubs just doesn't make sense. Everything I've read sounds like he is very good, but let's not forget he hasn't proven himself in the majors yet. As I stated before, that kind of money can fill 2-3 holes on the Cubs with players who have a proven track record.
  14. Backtobanks
    might as well go cheap. Just sign guys who were good five years ago, or who never were good (Abraham Nunez, Tony Womack) and watch the results roll in! You beat me to the punch. Why go high end when they continue to go reasonably cheap and win the division every year? Is it LaRussa, lousy competition, or a combination of both?
  15. Backtobanks
    Link. I'd much rather have Igawa if the winning bid was actually 38-45 million. I can't fathom paying up to 95 million for 5 years of one player. Especially an untested one at that. Agreed. AMEN! For that much money you can sign someone like Schmidt AND a #4 or #5 starter and at least have some idea of what you're getting for the money.
  16. Backtobanks
    Wait until the Cubs sign him.
  17. Backtobanks
    You can compared him to other free agents. It's just stupid to only compare him to free agents. You have to compare him to everybody. He's makes more than the average players but does not produce more than the average player. You can't compare him to everybody in salary. "Everybody" includes a ton of players that are rookies making the league minimum, benchwarmers that make a million or less, and many other pre-arbitration young players that are under salary control by their teams. If you want to compare salaries, compare him to players who are not rookies or pre-arbitration AND STARTING ON A REGULAR BASIS. I would guess that his salary is probably below or in-line with those players.
  18. Backtobanks
    I remember everybody complaining about the money and the length of the contract when Hendry signed Jones. I wrote then that it was the price that Hendry had to pay to get him and trading him with $10 million owed over 2 years wouldn't be a problem if that's what Hendry wanted to do. Now everybody is writing about what a bargain Jones is and it should be easy to find a trade partner because of his reasonable contract. After all is said and done, Jones was a good signing and it should go in the plus column for Hendry.
  19. Backtobanks
    Heyman is entitled to his opinions, but there are a lot of players that I would disagree with.
  20. Backtobanks
    The headline should read "Insert Name interested in insert team." In the first space, pick from Zito, Scmidt, Soriano, CLee, etc. In the second space, pick from Yankees, Mets, Cubs, etc. (or any other team with a ton of money to spend)
  21. Backtobanks
    Michael Restovich signed a minor league deal with the Nationals.
  22. Backtobanks
    You really think that? No offense, but I think it's silly to say that a backup catcher who starts 30 games a year is more important than the guys who pitch the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings of close games. I do think so. 30 starts from backup catcher is worth more than 30 appearances by a terrible middle reliever in the 6th inning. FYI, I define middle relief as everyone other than a setup man and closer. The back end of the pen is somewhat important, but middle relief isn't worth spit. The fact that Hendry has dumped so much payroll into the bullpen in the past 3 seasons is insanity. Your bullpen should be fixed only after your lineup and rotation have been properly constructed. It's like building a house and starting with the roof. The difference is that a backup C might start 30 games while many middle relief pitchers get into more than 50 games.
  23. Backtobanks
    Besides, signing relievers is not proactive. It's going straight to the used car lot while everybody else is looking for new models. It's not much of an accomplishment to come away with the premier middle relievers on the market. Middle relievers don't win you baseball games. They help you not lose them. But the Cubs have had lineup and rotation weakness for a while now, and Jim ignored both to solidify a secondary unity. I don't agree with this assessment. Signing middle relievers can be as you described, but the Cubs signed the premiere middle relievers available in each of the years we're talking about. These are all guys who had stellar numbers at the time of signing with closer potential. That helps you win. There is no such an animal as a "premire middle releivers". There are only middle relivers who stink and those who are medicore. The very nature of pitching in middle relief spells medicore. I understand what you're trying to say, but it's wrong. There are premier middle relievers. Premier meaning the best of the best. So they are the best of the best of what they do....pitch in middle relief. Some players consistently perform extremely well in the middle relief role and I would consider those players premier middle relievers. I guess. It's like picking the skinniest pig over 300 pounds. The difference between Bob Howry and [insert name here] is not that much. Then why would someone like Howry as opposed to "fill in the blank" be desirable to teams in a trade. With starters trained to go 5 or 6 innings, 2 or 3 relief pitchers are needed in most games.
  24. Backtobanks
    Fixed
  25. Backtobanks
    While campaigning, Judy Barr Topinka said Blagojevich ought to manage the Cubs because they're a bunch of losers. Another reason to vote against Topinka.
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